owl

owl,

common name for nocturnal birds of prey found on all continents. Owls superficially resemble short-necked hawks, except that their eyes are directed forward and are surrounded by disks of radiating feathers. This peculiarity lends them an appearance of studious intelligence, and the owl has long been used as a symbol of wisdom. Although owls are able to see in daylight, their eyes are especially adapted to seeing in partial darkness, and most owls spend the day sleeping in caves, hollow trees, and other secluded places. Their plumage is so soft and fluffy that they are almost noiseless in flight. The order (Strigiformes) of owls is divided into two families; the barn owls (family Tytonidae), with heart-shaped faces, are one, and the typical owls (family Strigidae) compose the other. Owls feed on rodents, toads and frogs, insects, and small birds; like the hawks, they regurgitate pellets of indigestible matter. The elf and saw-whet owls of the SW United States and the pygmy owl of the Old World are only 6 in. (15 cm) long, while the eagle owl of Eurasia, the hawk owl of Australia, the great horned owl of North America (Bubo virginianus), and the snowy and great gray owls of the Arctic reach 2 ft (61 cm) with wingspreads of 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m). Many owls usurp the deserted nests of other birds, especially hawks; the burrowing owl of the New World lives in deserted prairie-dog burrows or digs its own. The barred owl has a familiar four-hoot call; the screech owl, misnamed for a similar European species, has a mournful descending cry. The long-eared owl is found in North America; the short-eared owl is ubiquitous. The tawny owl is common in England. Owls are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals......Click the link for more information., subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Strigiformes, families Tytonidae and Strigidae.

owl

This decorated letter shows an owl and a witch with a cauldron. Courtesy Fortean Picture Library.

Owl

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

The Greeks looked upon the owl as a sacred symbol of wisdom. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, was always accompanied by an owl. Many old Greek vases are decorated with owls, some of which have breasts and even vulvas. In Rome, however, the hooting of owls or the sight of one was said to presage a death, and it was considered bad luck to dream of an owl.

Athena, Anath, Blodeuwedd, Lilith, Mari, and Minerva are associated with owls. From the Neolithic Age through to the Early Bronze Age, a prominent image in art is the goddess in the form of an owl. The Latin for owl is strix, from which comes the Italian strega, meaning "witch."

Owls were frequently depicted, during the persecutions, as companions and servants of witches. Some owls were believed to transform into succubae. The ability of an owl to turn its head almost a full 360 degrees led to Christian belief that it was a servant of the devil.

Despite a lot of negative beliefs, the owl has also been credited with profound wisdom, oracular powers, and the ability to avert evil. De Givry suggests that the owl, along with the cat and the toad, is the inseparable companion of every witch.

What does it mean when you dream about an owl?

A symbol of wisdom and virtue, as a night bird the owl is also a natural symbol of the unconscious. Solemn and wide-eyed, the owl may bear a message the dreamer needs to heed.

owl

[au̇l]

(vertebrate zoology)

Any of a number of diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey composing the order Strigiformes; characterized by a large head, more or less forward-directed large eyes, a short hooked bill, and strong talons.

OWL

OWL

Owl

OWL

(1) (Web Ontology Language) A comprehensive language that is used to define the vocabulary in an RDF data model. A superset of the RDFS language, every OWL document is an RDF document, but OWL Lite and OWL DL (OWL Description Logistics) are subsets (see RDFS).

Why Is This OWL Instead of WOL? Because OWL sounds catchier and is also reminiscent of William A. Martin's One World Language project of the 1970s. See RDF, SPARQL and Semantic Web.

(2) (ObjectWindows Library) A class library of Windows objects from Borland that serves as an application framework for developing Windows applications in C++. It is the Borland counterpart of the Microsoft Foundation Class Library (MFC).

Owl

(dreams)

It is another symbol for the unconscious. It usually represents wisdom and virtue, and your unconscious may be giving you important messages, so pay attention to the details in the dream. In the American Indian tradition, the owl is considered to be the eagle of the night. Dreaming about owls is a powerful dream that may indicate that changes are on the way. Superstition-based dream interpretations suggest that dreaming about an owl is a negative omen, which indicates a reversal in good fortune. An owl in the house predicts family arguments and chasing it away might cause things to work out for the best.

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